Most Common Mistakes in College Essays

Sep 5
08:14

2011

Jon Ginsburg

Jon Ginsburg

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Normal 0 It will only take a few minutes to learn and it will benefit you throughout your college career – the most common mistakes in college essays. Commit these to memory and implement them in practice and your grades will improve!

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Most Common Mistakes in College Essays

 

It will only take a few minutes to learn and it will benefit you throughout your college career – the most common mistakes in college essays. Commit these to memory and implement them in practice and your grades will improve!

 

  1. Plagiarism – If you use someone else’s words or even their ideas,Most Common Mistakes in College Essays Articles you better give them the credit! Use the citation style required by your professor. If you plagiarize your college essays, you are guaranteed to receive a failing grade.
  2. No Thesis – If you have no main idea for your college essay, the reader will not get your point! The thesis is usually the last sentence in the first paragraph. It cements the direction of the essay in the reader’s mind and guides the flow.
  3. No Conclusion/Summary – Leaving off the summary or conclusion on your college essay is like stopping the band before the song is over. It leaves the reader (your professor) hanging in mid-air. Simply restate your thesis and incorporate your main subpoints from the essay.
  4. Typos – This will guarantee you a poor grade. Even if your prose is brilliant and your creativity is stellar, misspelled words, incorrect grammar, dangling participles (learn what these are!), and the like will look sloppy and rushed to your professor. These are easily fixed with proofreading and editing. Hire a professional writer if you need to assistance with this part. It is worth the higher grade!
  5. No Structure/Organization – College essays are not entries on your FB page! They are organized and planned writings that demonstrate thought and understanding of the subject matter. Unless the assignment is for stream-of-consciousness, you better get some organization in your essay.
  6. Repetition – Nothing says lack of effort to a professor than a college essay that repeats the same thought over and over. Make your point and move on!
  7. No Transition – Since you are not repeating the same thought, you need smooth transition sentences or passages. Think about how to smoothly move from one point to the next so the essay does not read like bulleted points.

 

Avoid these common mistakes in your college essays and your grades will jump!